GUWAHATI, Jan 16 - Horticulture production in the State has more than doubled in the past one decade. The total horticulture yield in the State during 2014-15 stood at 79.28 lakh MT against 38.54 lakh MT in 2000-01.
Sources in the agriculture department attribute this horticulture boom to induction of technology and quality planting material.
�The implementation of the Horticulture Mission, a Centrally-sponsored project, played a key role in transforming the sector, as did quality planting materials that were made available to the farmers. Technological interventions were lacking in this sector which otherwise held a lot of potential for the State. Good quality planting material, too, is another crucial component of horticultural growth, and the interventions we had made are showing visible results,� sources said.
Given that much of the horticultural growth took place during the past six-seven years, the agriculture department is expecting that the growth would continue in the coming years.
A break-up of horticultural yield during 2014-15 shows that the State produced 22.24 lakh MT fruits, 51.88 lakh MT vegetables and 5.16 lakh MT spices in the period. The corresponding production figures during 2000-01 were 12.41 lakh MT fruits, 24.71 lakh MT vegetables and 1.52 lakh MT spices.
Sources said that the department had accorded thrust on attaining self-sufficiency in potato and onion production.
The State could produce 7.84 lakh MT potato and 0.32 lakh MT onion during 2014-15 against 6.77 lakh MT potato and 0.17 lakh MT onion in 2000-01.
�The Chief Minister�s Onion Mission, too, has been playing a big role in increasing production as well as productivity of onion in the State,� sources added.
